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Iran executes 2 opposition members over alleged attacks on civilian targets, MEK ties
Iran said on Sunday that it has executed two people linked to the exiled opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK), accusing them of orchestrating attacks against civilian and government infrastructure across the country.
According to the judiciary's official outlet, Mizan Online, the executions of Behrouz Ehsani Eslamlou and Mehdi Hasani were carried out in the morning following their conviction for using improvised mortars to target residential zones, educational centres and government facilities.
Eslamlou, whose association with MEK dates back to the 1980s, had previously served time in prison before re-joining the group upon release. Authorities said he was detained while attempting to cross into Turkey, allegedly carrying firearms, ammunition, components for mortar devices and disguise tools.
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Further details reported by the semi-official Tasnim news agency claim that Eslamlou had been instructed by MEK leaders in Albania to infiltrate Iran and establish covert militant cells. His role reportedly included recruitment, training and directing operations aimed at both civilian and official targets.
Iranian state media also alleged that the two men were engaged in acts of sabotage, intelligence-gathering and the filming of attacks for distribution through MEK-affiliated media platforms.
Iranian courts charged the men with several offenses, including waging war against the state, conspiracy, sabotage and membership in a terrorist organization. Prosecutors accused them of plotting to destabilize national security and damage public property.
The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, once a Marxist-Islamist group that opposed Iran's monarchy, backed the 1979 Islamic Revolution but later broke with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's government. It carried out a series of deadly bombings and assassinations in the 1980s and supported Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war — stances that still provoke widespread resentment within Iran. The group is now largely based in Albania but claims to operate a clandestine network inside Iran.
The last known execution of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq members before Sunday took place in 2009, following their conviction in connection with an attempted bombing in Tehran's central Enghelab Square.
With inputs from agencies
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